BOJ Nominee Backtracks After Jumping the Gun

Kikuo Iwata, an economist at Gakushuin University, was visibly excited when he spoke to reporters in the entrance hall of his apartment complex Monday morning, about the phone call he received last week from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In that call, Mr. Iwata said, Mr. Abe asked him to become one of two new deputy governors at the Bank of Japan. Mr. Iwata told the prime minister he would “humbly” accept the position, he said.

“He said he’d like me to be deputy BOJ governor, but I don’t really remember the rest of the conversation,” Mr. Iwata said, adding he was too nervous to ask Mr. Abe who he had chosen as governor.

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